I totally agree. I also believe that a major issue with home made grenades are the fact that there is no measure of strength and it quickly become an arms race. Bigger, bigger , louder until it gets ridiculously loud (dangerous).

+1

MuD and Fox have both been around long enough to remember when pyros/grenades started making their appearance on the field. I actually don't remember any games were "grenade" was called, except recent stuff at Action500. They most likely also remember the period when grenades were simply not allowed at games because they became too much of a headache for organizers.

The problem stems in large part because people don't fully understand why grenades are loud and because there are no rules or measures covering how loud they can be. While limits are set out in terms of the fireworks used to create them, AS grenades usually exist as a modified derivative of the original product which cannot be easily identified (in either substance or quantity).

The second problem is there are no rules concerning how tightly the canister can be wrapped, and some people don't seem to understand that a very tightly wrapped canister will produce a louder/sharper rapport.

EDIT

Also, concerning hearing protection, while high end gear like Peltors is really slick (protection + amplification of weak sounds, high range cutoff, etc) it aren't absolutely necessary for adequate protection: Peltor 6S and 7S models are rated to a NRR (Noise Reduction Rating -- higher value offers more protection) of 19db and 24db respectively. In comparison, those "Yellow Foamie" ear plugs are rated to a NRR or 29db when correctly used (i.e., rolled up and inserted deeply enough into the ear canal). While they muffle ambient sound a bit they still provide enough hearing for airsoft and will provide protection against loud noises (I've used them while working on stage at concerts as well as for shooting up to 7.62x51).